Learning From

When you take art classes the lessons tend to focus on color, shading, movement and details. After all, some of the best art out there are ones with smooth transitions, deep intricacies and realistic depth. Cutting vinyl decals on the other hand? None of this is true. Unless you have a special printer and a expensive cutting machine then you are limited to simplified high contrast designs. I learned about vinyl in early 2020, before the pandemic took over the nation, when I started a new job. The company I worked for (I was in their digital marketing department) specialized in commercial vinyl graphics for vehicles, installations and more. 

I remember that the main thing I noticed was just how much wasted material there was. The process of creating and applying the design creates a lot of waste. Vinyl is essentially a high quality and highly customizable sticker. The waxy paper under the vinyl and the clear sheet above it are both removed and thrown away. Depending on the cut design, massive amounts of the vinyl itself is also tossed despite it still being useable on a smaller scale. The company doesn’t go small for the most part and while I knew some of the trash was unavoidable I couldn’t help but wish there was a better way.

Later in 2020 I got myself a Cricut Joy. It is a very small vinyl cutter with no printing capabilities outside of a limited drawing option. I got to experiment with making designs specifically for vinyl cut decals. How detailed can be added without destroying the piece? How can I use every inch without wasting useable vinyl? What can the vinyl be used to make? I’m still exploring the limitations today. 

The biggest aspect that vinyl taught me about design is that size effects everything. Sure, most of us understand this when it comes to large objects…but small, thin or flat? Not many traditional or conventional mediums don’t have to think around being small. Solid, connecting shapes and line thickness is vital in creating a functional vinyl cut design. Using contrast to replace delicate details is a useful skill for any artist to learn. The best way to improve your art is to learn tricks from all the other mediums.